E.L. Doctorow's New Novel Blends Reality and Fiction
E.L. Doctorow connected these disparate images to create the protagonist of his novel, a cognitive scientist named Andrew, as well as a strange, serpentine story.

Dave Hill is the 'Best' Successor
Tom Scharpling's long-running program, "The Best Show on WFMU," had its name for a reason. It was the station's most popular—a fact not lost on Dave Hill, who will broadcast his new show Tuesday.

Ancient Wars, Gender Bending And Two Lears
'Cry, Trojans! (Troilus & Cressida),' Justin Vivian Bond at Classic Stage Company, 'King Lear' at BAM and Theater for a New Audience and more in this week's On Stage.

Saving Minutes, Saving Lives With 'Ambucycles'
Mark Gerson backs what he calls an 'extraordinarily effective' method to save lives in an emergency: a program of United Hatzalah of Israel, an emergency response service that shaves minutes off response time.

Rain Trumps Riders in Palm Beach
Rains were torrential on Sunday at Mar-a-Lago, the private club owned by Donald Trump, but several riders still competed in the Trump International Grand Prix and several horse enthusiast New Yorkers attended.

New One57 Buyer Tries a Flip
One57, the 1,004-foot-high condominium and hotel tower, has opened in Midtown, making it the tallest and most expensive residential building ever open in New York City—at least for the next year or so.

Meat, Meat and More Meat
Churrascaria chain Fogo de Chão has opened a New York outpost across the street from the Museum of Modern Art, giving both locals and out-of-towners the chance to taste southern Brazilian cuisine.

Media Mogul Run Run Shaw Dies at 106
Hong Kong media titan Sir Run Run Shaw, who co-founded dominant broadcaster Television Broadcasts and popularized martial-arts films in the West, died at the age of 106.

MakerBot Unveils 3-D Printer Nearer to $1,000
MakerBot, which helped make 3-D printing a tech buzzword, unveiled its most aggressively priced printer to date, the MakerBot mini, which it says will cost $1,375.

Finances Probed in Killing
New York City authorities on Monday were investigating the business dealings of a well-known real-estate developer in Brooklyn's Hasidic community who police said was kidnapped and murdered last week.

For U.S. Banks, Hard Yards Start Now
U.S. banks are coming to the end of the road in boosting earnings by cutting costs and releasing funds set aside for bad loans. That means sustaining gains in share prices and the bottom line is difficult, writes Francesco Guerrera.

Mayor Firm on Tax Plan for Wealthy
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio made clear that he wants a tax increase on high-earning city residents, regardless of whether Albany lawmakers find state funding to offer pre-kindergarten to all children.

City Sexual Assault Lab Work Slows
The turnaround time for DNA analysis in sexual-assault cases in New York City has increased four fold in five years, a rise that crime-victim advocates called troubling for victims.

Giants to Interview Mike Sullivan to Replace Kevin Gilbride
Sullivan, who served as the Giants' quarterbacks coach in 2010 and 2011, presided over the worst offense in the entire NFL this season in Tampa Bay.

Justice Department to Clarify Bank-Marijuana Company Rules
The Justice Department is drafting legal guidance to help clarify how the banking industry can do business with newly legal marijuana businesses in states like Colorado.

U.S. Needs a Role in the New Mideast
Capital Journal: The Arab Spring didn't merely shake up the ossified power structure of the Middle East. It launched a total transformation of the region—one that ultimately will compel the U.S. to rethink its stake in an area that for half a century was assumed to be central to its global interests, writes Gerald F. Seib.

Jason Gay: Is the Carmelo Anthony Era in New York Already Over?
The days when the Knicks could style themselves as legitimate contenders appear over. So what comes next for Anthony and his quest to win a title in New York?

Boeing Jet Deliveries Rise Nearly 8%
Boeing said it delivered a record number of jetliners last year, as surging demand pushed the aerospace giant's output to its highest level since before the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

U.S. Sees Historic Influx From Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico is experiencing a historic exodus of residents fleeing the island's battered economy and rampant crime. From 2000 to 2010, a net 288,000 people left for the U.S. mainland, the most since the 1950s.

Metro-North Railroad's President to Retire
Howard Permut is expected to retire at the end of the month, after a year in which the railroad suffered a string of mishaps culminating in a fatal derailment in December.

Keeping Carp Out of Great Lakes Could Cost $18 Billion
Federal engineers on Monday gave Congress eight options to reduce the chances invasive species will move between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River.

Bill Would Foster Online Video
Lawmakers have introduced at least three different bills that would reshape the consumer video market, giving a boost to Internet streaming companies, similar to efforts used to boost the satellite industry in the 1990s.

Sirius Investors Expecting More From Liberty
Shares of satellite-radio provider Sirius XM Holdings on Monday were trading at a 4% premium to the buyout price offered by Liberty Media on Friday, indicating that investors are betting on Liberty to increase its bid.

At Electronics Show, a Flock of Smartwatches
The trickle of companies putting computing and communications power on people's wrists has turned into a torrent, making it tough for small and newer suppliers to stand out in the crowd.

Beijing Tightens Its Grip on Shadow Lending
China's cabinet is tightening oversight of rapidly expanding shadow-banking services, in a sign the country's leadership is seeking to slow a run-up of debt and bolster financial stability.

U.K. Business Bullish on 2014
British businesses plan to hire more staff and increase investment this year, new surveys show, signaling the U.K.'s economic recovery is poised to gather strength through 2014.

Restaurants Fear New Food Giant's Clout
Restaurants and other customers are starting to fear the clout of the industry giant that would be created by a planned merger between the country's two biggest food distributors.

Health Spending Grew Modestly in 2012
Spending on health care grew at a restrained pace in 2012, the fourth straight year of less than 4% growth, as lower prices on some prescription drugs helped offset the costs of more doctor and hospital visits.

Vigodman Is Lead Candidate to Be Teva's Next CEO
Erez Vigodman, a board member at Teva Pharmaceutical, could be appointed chief executive of the world's largest generic-drug maker as early as this week.

Twilight of the Idols
A recent magazine feature on genius devoted six pages to the brilliance of Stephen Colbert. Mozart got a paragraph. Eric Felten reviews Darrin M. McMahon's "Divine Fury: A History of Genius."

ICE Trims Trading Hours on Soft-Commodity Contracts
IntercontinentalExchange Group Inc. is shortening the trading hours of several soft-commodities markets to align trading with similar products it is acquiring through the purchase of NYSE Euronext

Can Ginger Help With Asthma?
Ginger, well known as a therapy for an upset stomach, is recently getting attention among scientists for what appears to be its capacity to ease symptoms of asthma by opening constricted airways.

Specialized Care for Young, Injured Athletes
More sports medicine programs are working exclusively with young athletes, using procedures and surgical techniques that don't interfere with growing bones and cartilage.

Morgan Stanley Interest-Rate Trader Leaves
Glenn Hadden, Morgan Stanley's top interest-rate trader, has left the bank amid a challenging turnaround effort in its bond-trading business, according to a memo sent to the securities firm's staff.

RadioShack Options See Rush of Bearish Bets
An unusual rush of bearish activity in RadioShack Corp. options suggests some investors are betting on a fresh leg down for the beleaguered stock, traders say.

Brazil Debuts Revamped Stocks Index
Brazil debuted its revamped stocks index, the first major shift in methodology in 46 years. The exchange is trying to reduce the wild swings seen recently as the Ibovespa surged and then swooned on the rise and fall of the business empire of Brazilian entrepreneur Eike Batista.

Community-College Freshmen Given More Direction
Community colleges are moving away from the freshman sampler of courses for those figuring out what to study. Schools hope to boost completion rates by having students follow scripted paths to a degree.

U.S. Stocks Close Lower
Stocks declined, continuing the market's lackluster start to the new year, as data showing the services sector expanded at a slower rate than expected kept investors in a cautious mood.

Dollar Declines Against Rivals
The dollar fell to a two-week low against the Japanese yen and lost ground to the euro, after a report showed the U.S. services sector growing at a slower-than-expected pace in December.

Boston Bombing Survivors Create Running Team, Charity
The family of the 8-year-old boy killed in the Boston Marathon bombing plan to organize a team of runners for this year's race to raise money for a new charity established in his name.

Book Publishers Sell Bookish Site
Three big book publishers that teamed up to start Bookish, their own book-recommendation and retailing website, are selling the venture, less than a year after it launched.

Iran Left Off List for Syria Talks
The United Nations sent out invitations Monday for the latest peace conference on Syria and Iran wasn't on the list, despite its role as a major backer of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime.

Spanish Official in Panama to Fix Dispute over Canal Expansion
Spanish Official met with Panama's President to discuss dispute that threatens to derail one of the world's biggest construction projects, the widening of the Panama Canal so that bigger ships can pass through.

Alternative Look at Spanish Co-ops
To put this matter in a broader perspective, we should consider not only the longevity, values and resilience of the Mondragon system but also the fact that, as one example, the failure of a single bank (branch) doesn't lead to questioning the entire banking system.

J.P. Morgan Officials Excluded from Penalties in Madoff Deal
J.P. Morgan Chase officials won't be penalized as part of a deal the U.S. bank is negotiating with the Justice Department over alleged failures to warn about Bernard Madoff's massive fraud.

Taxes That Compound In Ever Upward Spiral
Like compound interest, the tax on a tax on tax creates an annual upward spiral in premiums that will have an even larger cumulative effect than explained in your editorial.

Peru Panel Urges Graft Probe on Ex-Leader
A congressional panel investigating former President Alejandro Toledo said it found "reasonable indications" he was involved in laundering money through real estate deals, a charge he denies.

Using Technology to Eradicate Privacy Is Repugnant
Is Philip Mudd suggesting that the government, at a moment's notice, should be able to reconstruct the lives of any person in case he or she is later suspected of terrorist ties?

Oil Futures Fall
U.S. oil futures fell to a more than one-month low as traders worried that government data will show domestic crude inventories increased for the first time in six weeks on weak demand for petroleum products.

China Shows Signs of Slowdown
China's economy showed clear signs of a slowdown in December, with business surveys across both manufacturing and services sectors weakening together for the first time in months.

Ireland to Sell First Bonds Since Bailout Exit
Ireland plans to sell a new long-term bond, its first since it ended an international bailout last month and evidence of its remarkable rehabilitation in international financial markets.

Good Night to the Beleaguered BCS
To get sentimental about the BCS would be like getting sentimental about that terrible sedan you bought for $650 in high school, the one with the cassette player that only played Chicago's Greatest Hits 1982-89.

U.S. Sets Sale of Bills
The Treasury will re-open $18 billion in reopened 4-week bills Tuesday. The debt will settle on Jan. 9, 2014 and will mature Feb. 6, 2014. The debt is a reopening of an issue first sold on Feb. 7, 2013.

Moody's Concerned With Economic Trends in Brazil
Brazil needs to reverse economic trends as low productivity, investment and business confidence weaken the fundamentals of Latin America's largest economy, Moody's Credit Services said in an annual report published Monday.

Early Victory for Ex-SAC Manager Ahead of Insider Trial
U.S. District Judge Paul Gardephe blocked the government from using certain pieces of evidence against former SAC Capital Advisors portfolio manager Mathew Martoma.

Ruling Is a Win Martoma Ahead of Trial
A former SAC Capital Advisors LP portfolio manager, Mathew Martoma, scored an early victory against the government a day before jury selection begins in his insider-trading trial.

Sudan Offers to Help Protect South's Oil
Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir met with his counterpart in Juba, Salva Kiir, as fighting spread to the oil regions that both countries depend on for survival.

Goodyear Managers Held Hostage
Workers at a Goodyear Tire & Rubber factory in northern France prevented two of their bosses from leaving on Monday, the latest in a string of protests by union members who were accused by a U.S. executive last year of doing little work.

Likely New Latvia Prime Minister States Intentions
Laimdota Straujuma said Monday as Latvia's new Prime Minister she will immediately focus on maintaining the Baltic state's budget stability and initiate programs to use European Union funds.

New Zealand Criticizes Japanese Whaling
New Zealand criticized Japan's seasonal resumption of whaling in the Southern Ocean as environmental activists released video footage of four dead minke whales on a Japanese ship.

Cambodia's Workers End Strike After Crackdown
A nationwide strike in Cambodia's garment industry petered out after a violent crackdown on political and labor protests, allowing most factories to resume production.

European Markets Close Lower
European markets closed mostly lower as investors digested economic data that showed accelerating growth in Spain but continued weakness in France, the euro zone's second-largest member.

Egypt's Largest Wheat Order Since 2010 Lifts Prices
Egypt, the world's largest wheat buyer, has entered the market with its biggest purchase since 2010, lifting futures prices on both sides of the Atlantic.

German Inflation Picks Up
Consumer prices in Germany rose in December from November but inflation in Europe's largest economy remained firmly below the European Central Bank's price-stability target, the federal statistics office said.

Ruling Party in Bangladesh Captures Parliament
Bangladesh's premier celebrated preliminary results in a weekend election boycotted by the opposition that showed her party capturing 77% of the seats in Parliament.

Spain Could Still Show Tasty Gains
Investors in Spanish and Italian government bonds were handsomely rewarded last year. After a blistering start for both countries' bond markets, the pair could also prove attractive in 2014—especially Spain.

China Destroys Tons of Illegal Ivory
Government officials crushed more than six tons of ivory in a move that signals the country is willing to play a greater role in protecting dwindling elephant populations.

U.S. Nonmanufacturing Sector Slowed in December
The U.S. nonmanufacturing sector's expansion remained on track in December but at a slower pace than expected, according to data released Monday by the Institute for Supply Management.

U.K. Needs $41 Billion in Budget Cuts
The U.K. government will need to find a further £25 billion ($41 billion) of budget cuts after the 2015 election to reduce its borrowing and support a sustainable economic recovery, Treasury chief George Osborne said Monday.

Vringo Awarded $17.3 Million in Additional Damages, Interest
Vringo said it was awarded $17.3 million in supplemental damages and prejudgement interest in its patent suit against Google Inc. and other companies.

The 10-Point: Gerard Baker on U.S. Congress, Syria's Civil War, Mark Zuckerberg, and More
A personal, guided tour to the best scoops and stories every day in The Wall Street Journal, from Editor in Chief Gerard Baker.

Nestlé to Sell Frozen Pasta Business
Nestlé has agreed to sell its U.S. frozen ravioli business to buyout firm Brynwood Partners, part of the Swiss food giant's plans to pare down its roster of brands. Terms weren't disclosed.

Spain Resurgence Aids Euro-Zone Recovery Hopes
A resurgence in Spain helped compensate for continued weakness in France to ensure the euro zone's services sector and its broader private sector continued to expand in December.

China Railway Shares Plunge After President's Death
The state-owned company's stock price fell to its lowest level in six months after it said its president, Bai Zhongren, died in an accident on Saturday.

Harbin Bank Plans $1 Billion IPO
China's Harbin Bank is planning to apply for a $1 billion initial public offering in Hong Kong this month, paving the way for a listing as soon as the second quarter this year, people familiar with the matter said.

Frolicking in the Snow at Inner Mongolia Ice Festival
Hundreds of tourists and residents flocked to West Ujimqin Banner in China's Inner Mongolia region over the weekend for a traditional winter ice and snow carnival that featured events like camel racing, archery and sledding.